Walking doll



H. H. COLEMAN.

WALKING DOLL.

APPLICATION FILED mAR.1s,1919.

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WALKING DOLL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1a. 1919.

1,396,321. Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

2 $HEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. COLEMAN. OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO LAWRENCE F. CAREY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WALKING DOLL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application filed March 18, 1919. Serial No. 283,417.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY H. COLEMAN, a subject of the King of England, (who has procured preliminary naturalization papers of the United States,) residing at New York city, in the county of New Iork and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in alking Dolls, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is the provision of improvements on the walking doll set forth in my Patent No. 1,221,970, dated April 10, 1917.

My present improvements are not limited to dolls, as they may be embodied in other figure toys such as birds, animals, and the like.

The improvements set forth in detail hereinafter render the doll more durable, lessen the labor and expense involved in manufacture, permit quick and easy repair, should such become necessary, and minimize the likelihood of the child, or other person usingor playing with the doll, breaking or damaging the improved resilient means employed in connection with the joints.

My present improvements contemplate, still further, an improved body which affords a more natural feel to the child when fondling the doll, and enables amore satis factory assembly of the head with the body, while, at the same time, providinga stronger, less expensive and more durable body than heretofore used.

My present improvements pertaining to the resilient means for the hip and knee joints dispense with the use of elastic bands,

such as shown in my Patent No. 1,221,970,

although my patent does not restrict to the use of elastic bands or cords, but includes springs. The improved spring means which form a part of the present invention are constructed and arranged in a novel manner, such means being adapted to fold or collapse, without possibility of injury or derangement, when the doll is in a sitting posture. Furthermore, the improved spring means is so constructed and located as to be readily applied during manufacture and to be very accessible in the finished doll.

The improved spring means for the knee joints comprises spring hinges located in cut-away rear portions of the leg sections so as to be housed and afford no protruding parts to interfere with the contour of the knee joints, thereby rendering the doll more attractive to the child and, at the same time, protecting said spring means, while also permitting a full bending movement of the lower leg sections.

Another improvement resides in the weighting of the feet by lead or other heavy material so that the leg will kick forward with a much stronger action, as the doll walks.

The improved manner in which the upper ends of the upper leg sections are adapted to cooperate with the bottom of the bod 1 to arrest the leg, insures the kicking forward of the leg to better advantage than in the joint and stop arrangement set forth in my Patent No. 1,221,970.

The arm sections are cut away and hinges provided at the elbow so that the forearm may be moved up or down, rendering the doll very natural and life-like.

The present improvements I have found in actual use of the doll, enable it to walk very naturally and even more naturally than the doll of my patent.

As with the doll of my Patent No. 1,221,- 970, so the doll, embodying my present improvements, may walk, kneel, sit down, or be danced with.

The embodiments of the invention hereinafter set forth are to be considered as illustrative. rather than restrictive, of the scope of the improvements.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure. 1 is a side elevation of the complete doll, certain parts being broken away, showing the doll in walking position;

Fig. 2 is a detail combined front elevation and section showing a portion of the body and the joints for the upper ends of the upper leg sections;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section through one of the knee joints and its spring hinge;

Fig. 4 is a detail front elevation showing the spring means for the upper leg sections;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, showing a modification of spring means for the upper ends of the upper leg sections. and

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective showing a walking animal having spring actuated, coupled legs.

The body comprises a bottom member 1 of substantially elliptical shape arranged horizontally, uprights 2 secured to the bottom member, and an upper or cross member 3 of substantially cylindrical form, or which is at least rounded on its upper surface, said member being secured to the side pieces 2. The body is formed by the provision of wire fabric or netting 4 which is tacked or other wise secured to the bottom member 1, side members 2 and top member 3 as at 5. The inherent resiliency or give 'of'the wire netting or fabric body 4 has the advantage of affording a natural feel to the hand of the child when the doll is fondled and, also obviates the necessity for filling or stufling the body and thus decreases the cost of manufacture, while affording a strong and durable body for the doll. The rounded cross piece 3 enables the head 6 to be easily tacked or otherwise secured thereto, also reducing the cost of manufacture.

The arms may be of wood, comprising upper arm sections 7 which are tacked or suitably fastened at 8 to the side frame members 2, and wooden forearm sections 9 which are hinged at 10 to the upper arm section 7 The sections 7 and 9 are cut away at an angle and the hinge 10 is located in between said cut-away portions and has its leaves secured to the said sections 7 and 9. In consequence there are no protruding parts at the joint, and further, the arm may be raised and lowered in a natural and life-like way. The hand and wrist section 11 may be of any suitable material and cemented, or otherwise fastened, to the Wooden forearm section 9.

The legs comprise upper sections 12 and lower sections 13 which are preferably of wood. Lead or other suitable weights 14 may be provided in the feet to assist the legs in kicking forward with a stronger action.

My improved spring hinge connection between the leg sections 12 and 13 appears at 15" (Figs. 1 and 3). The leg sections are cut away on an incline as at 16, 17 affording adequate space for the reception and housing of the spring hinges 15, the leaves 18 of which are fastened to the inclined face 16, 17 in any suitable manner, as, for instance, by screws. The spring 19 is coiled around the pintle 20 and by its expansion tends to straighten the leg sections out as shown in Fig.3. The leg sections have squared portions or shoulders 21 which come together, as shown in Fig. 3. The improved joint just described is very durable, easily applied, and affords a strong and satisfactory kick to the lower leg sections 13 to cause them to spring forward when the foot clears the ground or floor in the manner set forth in my Patent No. 1,221,970. Being strong and housed, the spring joints 15 will stand a great deal of hard usage to which rubber elastic would soon yield.

Secured to the lower face of the bottom em; No. 1,221,970.

section 1 is a center block 22 and side pieces 23. A single pivot rod 24 may be used for pivoting both of the upper leg sections 12 to the blocks 22, 23, as was proposed in my patent. I do not limit myself, however, to the use of a single rod, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper leg sections 12 have openings 25 which are larger than the pivot pins or the rod 24, according to which is used, for the purpose of permitting the lateral swing to the legs, described in detail in my Patent No. 1,221,970.

My improved resilient or spring connection for the upper leg sections appears in Figs. 1 and 4 and comprises links and 27, respectively, connected to the bottom section 1 and the cut away portion 23 of the leg section 12 by suitable means, preferably staples, 29,30; and a contractile coil spring 31 which has its end coils loosely connected to the links 26, 27. The manner in which these improved spring connections act will be understood from Fig. 1 and the full disclosure of the leg action in my Pat- The improved spring connections have several advantages: they are so positioned and constructed that they may be quickly and easily attached to the the bottom member 1 and the leg sections 12; they are practically indestructible by ordinary use of the doll; they are readily accessible if repairs are necessary; their collapsibility, due to the loose linking of the links 26, 27 with the staples 29, 30, and of the spring 31 with the links 26, 27. enables them to fold down into the cut'away portion 28 of the leg when the doll is in a sitting posture. This latter adaptability of the spring connection prevents damage to the same and enables the doll to be handled by the child as an ordinary doll would be handled without interfering with the adaptability of the doll to walk.

As shown in Fig. 1, a further improvement resides in the position of the upper end 32 of the upper leg section 12 whereby the requisite freedom for walking is afforded, and, when the proper movement has occurred, one corner 33 or the other corner 34 of the end of the leg will abut against the bottom section 1 and limit further movement of the upper leg section so that the walking operation may be continued, as explained in my patent. By this arrangement, I do away with the special stop means employed for the extended upper end of the leg in the construction of my patent.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification wherein the end of the upper leg section 12 is extended into the body 4, the leg section lying in a slot 35 whose end walls 36, 37 constitute abutments to limit the play of the leg section. An expansion coil 38 is introduced between a projection 39 on the leg section 12 and a bracket 40 secured to the bottom member 1. In this form of the spring means for the upper leg section, the spring is housed and protected against 1njury or displacement.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated pairs of rigid legs 41, 42, the respective members being coupled by connecting rods 4:3, 44. The legs are pivoted at 5), a6 and their backward swing is arrested by stops a7, 48. Spring means 49, 50, which may be similar to the spring means for the upper leg sections, Fig. 1, connect one member of each pair of legs 41, a2 to the body 51 which may represent an animal.

What I claim is:

l. A walking figure toy having limbs composed of relatively movable sections provided with oppositely inclined end-faces at the knee, and self-contained spring-hinges whose leaves are connected to the respective inclined end-faces ot' the sections, said spring-hinge being wholly disposed between, and housed by the adjoining inclined endi'aces of the said sections.

2. A walking and sitting figure toy having a body, legs pivoted to the body, and coil springs anchored to the body and connected to the legs below the pivotal points of said legs, adapted to throw the legs forwardly and said legs having cut away portions to receive said springs when the toy is 5". a sitting posture.

3. A walking figure toy having a body, independently movable legs pivoted to the body, coil springs cooperating with the body and with the respective legs, respectively adapted to throw the legs independently forwardly, each leg having its upper end arranged to directly engage the body at predetermined limits of both its rearward and forward movements.

a. A walking and sitting figure toy having a body, legs pivoted to the body, and articulated actuating means for throwing the legs forwardly, comprising links connected to the body and to the legs, respectively, and a coil spring connected to and interposed between said links.

5. A walking and sitting figure toy having a. body, legs pivoted to the body, and articulated actuating means for throwing the legs forwardly, comprisinglinks connected to the body and to the legs, respectively, and a coil spring connected to and interposed between said links, said legs being provided with cut-away or recessed portions arranged to receive the said links and coil spring when the toy is in a sitting posture, the links and spring being adapted to fold or collapse due to their articulation.

6. A walking figure toy having a body provided with a horizontal end piece, independently movable legs pivoted to the end piece, each leg having its upper end located below the lower face of the end piece and adapted to engage therewith on both the forward and rearward movements of the leg, whereby the play of the leg, during the walking operation, is limited.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARRY I-I. COLEMAN. 

